Category: Architecture

Life is about to change. I have returned to Blog writing, something I love to do, just as I love to design buildings. Unfortunately, I have not yet made a comeback, in the capacity of an Architect. Sometimes I fear whether I will be able to join any organization again..opening up my own consultancy is an option but that needs lots of connections ..No not to get work rather to get paid for the work.

Then I constantly think about turning myself into an academician..but that requires a PhD..so first I have to become a student before I teach..am I ready ?

I don’t know..but this situation is getting me tensed..I love to work as an Architect and that’s what I want to do..everyday..I love to listen to clients expressing their dreams..intangible and then my expressions as a drawing the tangible..slowly but firmly we progress to building a dream.

whether you realize it or not, but perfection is the other name for survival, for beauty and life. Composition, spatial arrangement , links and effects all must be in perfect harmony for any space to become a place. A doctor or a surgeon must prescribe perfectly and operate exactly or someone will die . You must wear, clothes or makeup ,hairdo fashion shoes perfectly matching your size or you can trip slip and fall. When we are cooking , we have to be perfect at all stages or waste the ingredients ..Politicians can not make any mistakes for a single approval or denial will lead to wars, famine and deaths.

Justice needs perfection, and so does your family relationship..I used to think imperfection can be accepted , but when the documents displayed another department instead of the one I belong to..I didn’t accept the mistake..I wanted my certificate to be perfect.

Perfection in everything is needed, it does tire , take more time and effort , keep us vigilant and tidy..no escape no short cuts..life must be lived fully or it is wasted..So..from today..try to be perfect…in everything you do..It is not impossible just a bit difficult.

Development is for progress . Land is part of the resources, used and abused for making life easy. This sometime gets commercialized to a level that land demarcation becomes difficult. How do we identify rural areas, basically with vast agricultural fields and water bodies. What if cities were to retain water bodies and develop land such that open spaces remains part of the city ?

This sounds very attractive, but a city must be efficient , the time to commute and deliver is important. hence, cities tend to be made with road network, connections and resources. The denser the business spot, the closer the connections and better the service.

What happens to rural areas or small towns , when neglected? it gets a decay feeling. First the physical condition, in terms of maintenance gets sloppy and slowly, the social vibe gets disrupted.

Yes. It is the social character that is responsible for the decay and not just the physical aspect of any rural land/ city. Rural land never can decay, for it is always in use, what can get demolished are the old structures , that were needed by the previous land lords but no longer needed by the people now investing in agriculture. Genetics science, has made production of cash crop more than before, so much so the field is never barren.

I think, the rural land is not facing any decay..in fact its value has increased manifold. The older cities are perhaps area for concern, as the previous architecture style and land development has no longer the value, in present market. Denser and higher structures are preferred to low density and old fashioned designs.

of course, architectural heritage is important , but a property revitalization in terms of cash is also a factor, that leads to quick change in urban morphology.

What can then be a solution. I think, a consensus must be found, with majority of population participation.People should be made aware and revitalized, of their heritage and then decide fate of cities.

The re-development or extension must be made as part of the dwellers and not just a top down instruction, where people are left out of the development scenario. This leads to alienation and sense of belonging vanishes.

The connection between inhabitants and land degenerates, and nothing touches the heart of people.

Heart is where the pace is..this pace is for survival of the intelligent real estate investors..when they go for profit margins, there must be level..where they look into quality of space and rates of returns are not the only focus for the development.

We, must save our past from massive destruction, we may loose our heritage for present day high market returns..and in future this may lead to disconnected souls..they wander aimlessly..nothing belongs to them and they now don’t belong where they are originally from..is it not ironic.

Write about building something..forever or for long..or for moment..What can you build ..a structure..a monument..what is a ,monument..I think, it is physical entity reflecting a theme..a voice or idea..so..why build it and not live it. Build it, because you want people to know what your idea is, long after you are dead and gone..although it is your idea but others can live by it..for long. Or, perhaps you are afraid of not leaving behind a legacy and this built structure , of material and form, would be there as a prominent identity..sometimes to serve as a node..others to generate money or just to be..no reason ..except a landmark for making a right turn, before or after..So, building something has an effect.

Built form influence people’s psychology and , why is it built in the first place..its because of the financier psychology or reason. Structures lives longer or shorter depending why it was built..mostly monuments are survivors..in this ever changing materialistic world..

What else do we build ? Nations..people ..values.. Seems very much from the book..”When I don’t care” attitude is so prevalent , values seems like a phantom from past. Each one makes their own criteria, not bad..just personalized..so much so..nothing is general..We, get confused..whether what we do is correct or not..some of us look up in our religious teachings, some refer to their customs, few get into trends..more confused group ..get into ” answers and questions” ..where a leader or just members with similar or lesser background , give their opinions..we build up on reasons through votes by those who are in that forum..and we get a new version of acceptance…

We, also build relationships..takes time, effort and skill. It is a 24/7 job..there is no holidays..you must be continuously aware and beware of any wrong move..that includes forgetting birthdays..ooops.

In short..life builds, relationships are built, structures are also built and nations are built.